Fish-catching by a juvenile Powerful Owl Ninox strenua

Matthew Mo, Peter Hayler, Antonia Hayler
pp. 112-115


Abstract

The Powerful Owl Ninox strenua typically forages for arboreal prey; however, some authors have identified crustaceans in pellet material. This paper reports on an anecdotal observation of a juvenile Owl catching and consuming a fish. The observation was recorded at dusk in the upper reaches of tidal mangroves in one of the bushland remnants in Sydney, New South Wales, along the Georges River. The observation may constitute investigative ‘play’ behaviour by juvenile Owls.


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